Humboldt Labor
The Knights of Labor were active in Humboldt County.
Not all aspects of history are isolated, over-and-done-with events. Most are on-going issues that evolve and continue to connect past and present. The history of Labor is among these.
The later 19th century was a time of flamboyant capitalism and worker discontent over long hours, low pay and social disparities. This was aggravated in the late 1870s into the ‘80s when an economic depression hit.
In Humboldt County and most of California this led to the rise of several political parties and movements supporting labor. The Humboldt Workingmen’s Party was joined by the Greenback Labor Party, the International Workingmen’s Association, the Knights of Labor and the Populists. All gained considerable followings and had some success in local and state elections. Limited reforms and improved working conditions followed.
The labor movement continued growing into the 20th century, but efforts to promote unions and to improve hours and pay were hampered by the economic crash and depression beginning in 1929. In Humboldt County the major employers, timber companies, were steadfastly opposed to these goals. It was on these grounds that matters came to a head.
Employment in the mills and woods was dangerous work with long hours, few benefits and relatively low pay – an average of 35 cents an hour for a 60-hour work week. Agitation for recognizing labor unions grew, but most industry heads agreed with A.B. Hammond’s statement that he would “rather see grass grow in the streets of Eureka” than recognize a labor union.
In May of 1935, the Northwest Council of Lumber and Sawmill Workers met in the Labor Temple on Eureka’s E Street and called for a general strike demanding better pay, benefits and union recognition. Soon they received support from the Longshoremen’s Union which refused to handle timber from struck mills. The Cooks and Waiter’s Union provided food and opened soup kitchens for the strikers. The mills or docks which were targeted for picketing changed daily.
Timber management resisted and prepared for trouble. Not only did they blacklist suspected troublemakers, they formed an armed militia which drilled at Eureka High School, and purchased tear gas and weapons for local police.
On June 21, 1935, a mass picket began at the Holmes-Eureka mill on Broadway. Management called for help and police and vigilantes who had been expecting action on a waterfront site arrived with revolvers, tear gas and a machine gun (which soon jammed). What was to be called a massacre by some and a riot by others, soon began.
Dozens of people went to hospital, 114 picketers were jailed and three men were killed. The fact that those three were Finnish Americans led to Eureka’s Finnish Hall being raided and weapons confiscated. Those weapons turned out to be wooden and rubber props for plays performed on the Hall’s stage.
Of the 55 strikers charged with rioting, seven were brought to trial. But after months and difficulties filling juries, the trials ended in hung juries or acquittals. This plus the heavy turnout for the three funerals suggests that public sympathy was largely with the strikers.
Today, the main physical reminder of these events is the log gateway that once stood at the Holmes-Eureka mill entrance. Years ago, it was moved to Sequoia Park – fittingly near where the annual Labor Day picnic is held to honor unions and labor – past present and future. And, of course, documentary evidence of all this is preserved for all at the Humboldt County Historical Society.